on reality, truth and discovery

win 10 fast boot issue

Microsoft may recommend Fast Boot but it has been source for many freezes to my Windows 10 desktop

If you have Windows 10 on your computer, chances are you have seen your computer crash, freeze, hang or have some other undesirable behavior especially after performing feature updates. I have seen my computer refuse to boot into the Windows desktop after the Anniversary Update released in 2016 after several attempts. This freezing phenomena again occurred just recently after receiving the Creators Update released in the Fall of 2017. The reason? Fast Boot (which Microsoft apparently recommends) was automatically enabled after the feature update (I had disabled it before). (And in case you are wondering, I have seen this freezing issue related to the Fast Boot enabled on at least three separate computers. Why Microsoft doesn’t address this issue I do not know. )

So, if you are able to get to your desktop or your computer hasn’t been frozen entering the desktop, the first thing I recommend is to disable the Fast Boot feature ASAP which is found under Power Options. (Note: If you know your Fast Boot option is enabled and you have never had any issues with booting into the Windows 10 desktop, by all means feel free to leave it on!)

Disabling Fast Boot in Windows 10

1. Navigate to Power & Sleep Settings in Windows 10. (Type in Power in the search bar or icon located at the on the taskbar at the bottom on your desktop.)

2.Click on Additional Power Settings (Usually located to the right or towards the bottom of the Settings window under Related Settings)

3. In the Settings window that opens, click on Choose What the Power Buttons Do option located to the left of the Power Options window. (Note: this will be part of the Power options found in Control Panel)

4. The window System Settings will open. Four check boxes will be listed with the Fast Boot options listed first. Usually it is grayed out and the box has been already checked. To uncheck it, simply click on Change the settings that are currently unavailable.

5. UncheckTurn On Fast Boot (Recommended)

6. Save the changes. That’s it! Making sure this little hidden nugget from Microsoft is unchecked has fixed a lot of startup problems on my computers. Hope it can help you.